Improvement in fluid-meters



vNTTED STATES PATENT )rnrrclY IMPROVEMPENTy IN FLUID-METERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,337,ldated April 19, 1864.

.To all whom it may concern:

^ Be it known that l, E. J. BAKER, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a Fluid- Meter; and I do hereby/declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists in certain apparatus, fully described hereinafter, for measuring and discharging iluids.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

1 On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure ljis a vertical section of my improved fluidineter; Fig. 2, a plan view, partly in section 5 Fig. 3, a plan view with the upper portions of the meter removed and Fig. 4, a transverse vertical section, lookin g toward the front of the meter.

' Similar letters refer to similar parts through out the several views.

'The outer casing, A, of the meter consists of a box of east or plate iron of s uflicient strength to withstand the pressure of luid to which it has to be subjected, the box having a'detachable cover, A', so that access may be readily had to the works in the interior. A plate, B, situated Within the casing A, is provided with any suitable. number of legs, a a, which rest on and are secured to the bottom of the said casing, 'Y and onlthis plate are arranged two valve-seats, each of which has three ports-namely, the two supply-ports e and e', and between the latter the exhaust or discharge port f. Two horizontal cylinders, EV and E', are arranged side by side above the plate B, each cylinder being connected to the plate bytwo tubes, F and F', the former being situated near the front end and the latter near the rear end of the cylinder, as seen in Fig. l. In each cylinder is a piston, G, the peculiar construction of which will be especially alluded to hereinafter. The supply-port e of each valve-seat communicates through a passage, C, and the tube F withthe space between the front end, b, and piston G of each cylinder, and the other supply-port, c', of each valve-seat coinmunicates through the passage O and tube F' with the space between the rear end, b', of the cylinder and the piston,` the exhaust-port f of each valve-seat communicating through a pas? sage, D, with the outlet-pipe I. These passages are arranged beneath the plateB in the manner best observed on reference to the red lines, Fig. 3. On each valve seat rests an ordinary slide-valve, J, from each end of which projects la spindle, h, guided by a slotted projec nected by a rod, K, to a crank, j, on the ver tical shaft L, which is arranged to turn below in the step lr, attached to the plate B, and above in a plate, l, which serves to connect the two cylinders together.

The piston G of each cylinder consists of the two leather cups, m and m', the plates n and n', and rings q and q', the flanges r o" of the cups bearing against the interior surface of the cylinder, and the cups and rings being confined between the plates u and n by the central bolt M. These plates n and a are made of the peculiar form illustrated in Fig. l, so as to present an extended surface for bearing lightly against the interior of the cylinder and insuring a direct horizontal moveprotect the leather cups, to which the water is admitted through holes s s in the said plates.

To the head of the bolt M of each piston are jointed the two levers N and Nf, Fig. 2, the outer end of the lever N being jointed to the lever P and the outer end of the lever N to the lever P', and the two levers P and P being jointed together at points midway between their opposite ends. The lever P is jointed to an arm, R, secured to the vertical shaft Q, and the lever P is hinged to the arm Rf, which is fitted loosely and so 'as to turn freely on the same shaft, Q. This shaft Q turns below in the step t, secured to the intea stufng-box, u, at the top of the cylinder, the portion of the shaft which projects above the latter being furnished with an arm, U.

The above-described levers, arms, and vertical shaft are precisely alike in both cylinders. The arm S, appertaining to the cylinder E, is connected by a rod, T, to a pin, o, attached to the arm U on the central shaft L, and the arm S of the cylinder E' is connected Fig. 2, the piston G of the cylinder E is midtion, z', on the plate B, each valve being conment of the piston, and at the same time to rior of the cylinder, and passes above through by a rod, '.l", to the same pin, fv. As seen in 2 v iaasv way between the extreme limits of its move-- ment, and is in the act of moving in the direction of its arrow, while the piston of the cylinder E (shown by dotted lines) is at the limit of its forward movement. When the pistons of the two cylinders are thus situated, the valves will occupy the position shown in Fig. 3-that is to say, the port e of the cylinder E will be open, so as to permit the fluid in the box A to bear against the rear of the piston of that cylinder, while the water in front of the piston has a free escape through the tube F, passage G, ports e and f, and exhaust-passage D to the outlet-pipe I. In the mean time the ports of thecylinder E are close-d, as the piston of that cylinder has arrived at the limit of its forward movement. As the piston G of the cylinder E continues its forward movement, the arm S must (owing to the arm R being fast to the shaft Q and the arm It loose on that shaft) be turned in the direction of the arrow, and consequently the central shaft L will be turned in the direction of its arrow. While the piston of the cylinder E is in the act of moving forward from the position shown in Fig. 2, and thereby turning the shaft L, the piston of the cylinder E and the levers and arms connected therewith are not in a position to exert any iniiuence in turning the same shaft; but when the latter piston commences its reverse motion its influence increases, while as the piston G approaches the limit of its forward movement its influence decreases. In other words, one piston assists the other in turning the crank or arm U precisely as one piston assists the other in two steam-engines coupled together in the usual manner. As the shaft L revolves, a reciprocating motion is imparted through the crank 1' t0 the valves J. The manner in which these valves operate to open and close the ports and cause the iiuid admitted to the interior of the v It will also'be understood that as the pistons reciprocate a definite amount of fluid must be measured and discharged through the outlet.

pipe I. In the same line with theshaft L is another shaft, V, which ypasses through and turns iin a stuiiing-box, w, on the cover A of the box or casin g A, and to the lower end of this shaft V is secured an arm or crank, W, through a slot in which passes the pin v on the arm U, so that as the shaft L revolves a corresponding revolution is imparted to the shaft V, and the motion of this shaft may be communicated by any suitable system of gearing to an adjacent index-plate, by means of which the exact amount of fluid measured by and discharged from the meter can be determined.

My improved fluid-meter possesses many -ment, are surrounded by the fluid admitted to the box-the pressure of the fluid on all the part-s or nearly all the parts is uniformly the same-hence the lightest material can be used in the construction of the cylinders and other parts of the instrument 5 thirdly, by arranging the outlet-pipe and the ports and passages communicating therewith below the cylinder the ow of the iiuids measured by the cylinders and their reciprocating pistons lis downward, and consequently there is little or no opportunity for the impurities in/ the uids to accumulate at any points inquantities sufci'ent to impede the proper working of the instrument; fourthly, the box or casing,

with its contents, may be situated so far beneath the surface of the ground that the iinid cannot be frozen, and the index may be situated at any convenient point above ground,

as the shaft V for operating the index. may

be continued upward to any desired height;

fifthly, every facility is afforded for repairing the instrument, for, after detaching the coverplate A from the top of the -box or casing,

and the legs a of the plate B from the bottom of the box, the cylinders, valves, Iand passages-in fact, the entire operating partscan be readily lifted from the box, after which all necessary repairs can be completed with as much facility as an ordinary wet or dry-gasmeter can be repaired.

Although I have shown and described a peculiar system of arms and levers for transferring the motion of each piston to the shaft Q, it will be evident that other devices may be used for accomplishing the desired end.

I am aware that cylinders with reciprocating pistons have been heretofore suggested or devised for measuring and discharging ii-uids. I therefore lay no broad claim to the employment of such cylinders; but

I claim as my invention and-desire to secure by Letters Patent-,-

1. The arrangement, substantially a's described, within a box or casing to which the fluid to be measured is admitted, of two measuring-cyl'inders, with their reciprocating pistons, and with any system of valves, val-veseats, and passages for admitting the fluidto and discharging it from the said cylinders.

2. The arrangement, beneath the measuringcylinders, of the slide-valves J, the valve seats and ports, substantially as specified. t t 3. The arrangement, substantially as --described, of the passages C and G andexhaustpassage D beneath the valves-and valve-seats.

4. The slide-valves J J, arranged in respect to each other and operated by a crank for eccentric on the central vshaft L, substantially as specified.

5. The two cylinders, with their reciprocating-pistons, in combination with the' shafts Q, arms S and S', rods 'l and T', arm or crank U, and central shaft L, the Whole being arranged for joint action, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

6. The piston G,eo1nposed of cups m and m', of leather or other like material, and perforated plates n and n', all being constructed substantially as speeiiied.

7. The shaft V, passing through the coverplate A of the box, and having an arm or carrier, W, in combination with the central shalt L and its arm U.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. Y

EDWARD JOHN BAKER.

Witnesses:

JOHN WHITE, CHARLES HoWsoN. 

